Spring Awakening

‘Set in late 19th-century Germany, the musical tells the story of teenagers discovering the inner and outer tumult of adolescent sexuality’.  When I read this synopsis before going to see Spring Awakening, I was intrigued to know just how Stoke Youth were going to tackle such a subject. After seeing the production, the word that came to mind was ‘sensitively’.

Even before the opening appearance of the cast, there was a display of emotional shadow silhouettes on the stage area, this set the tone for the entire production. This was my first visit to Stoke Youth, and I certainly hope it is not my last. The cast’s performance was beyond their youthful years, everyone responded to the expert direction they had received from the production team of Gareth Ridge and Leah Franks.

It was one of those productions where I am loathed to single out individual cast members, as everyone remained on stage for most of the show and each added to the overall effect. However, George Shipley and Jessica Walters as Melchior and Wendla respectively, lead ‘the line’ beautifully. The chemistry towards each other created a believable relationship between the two of them, most of the scenes were delivered with real beauty and emotion. They were well supported by Finn Banks-Jones as Moritz, the troubled soul who found it very difficult to cope with the trials of adolescence, his stage presence created a completely different atmosphere and the audience’s emotion changed with every appearance. Amongst the youth were two experienced actors, simply billed as ‘Adult Man and Adult Woman’, played by James Freeman and Laura Harvey. Both had the unenviable task of playing multiple parts but were so adept that you were never in any doubt which character they were playing on each appearance. These were so well supported by the other named characters and an ensemble who knew exactly what was expected of them and responded with such precision in everything they did.

The harmony singing created by the group was first class, as a musician I am a sucker for a good harmony line and there were many to hang on to in this production. The soloists all had a certain quality to their voice and the musical strength of the group would be of envy to many other societies. The score was accompanied by a very proficient group of musicians, although they were not visible to the audience, their skills did not go unnoticed.

The set was well designed and so imaginative. The use of chairs was well thought out and the moving of them happened without any fuss and mostly unnoticed. The set was enhanced by an excellent lighting plot, adding to the emotion of each scene.

I mentioned the production team earlier but cannot speak highly enough of Gareth and Leah. The direction they had obviously given to the cast was very precise and executed extremely well throughout the performance. There was so much to be admired in the imaginative direction on stage, with subtle movement from the cast to full on dance routines.

This was a first-class production and congratulations must go to everyone involved in any small way – I hope I get the opportunity to pay another visit in the future.

Thank you for your invitation and the very warm welcome which I received on the evening.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.